Yearly Archives: 2012

You might not have listened in the beginning of the summer…
…Or in September when I told you it’s not too late to start your garden.
It’s now October and guess what?
It’s still not too late to start your garden
For most of you in the US, your time is running out this year, but you still have some. Utilize it!
The selection might be small,...

Do you strive for perfection in your garden?
Is it important for you for everything to be just so?
Are these questions that you ask yourself and beat yourself up about?
I don’t want an organic garden
People will often tell me that my garden isn’t “organic” because I am growing in plastic containers and the containers might be leaching BPA in the...

What is the simplest thing you can grow?
Which vegetable is pretty much failproof?
What is the one vegetable that is recommended for beginner’s to start with?
These are questions that I often get and the answer is pretty simple.
It’s not tomatoes
I’ve been very vocal and shared why most of your garden’s will fail before.
One of those reasons is...

Seed starting.
Who thought that it could be so intimidating…
..but there are lots of questions and things to take into consideration when starting your seeds.
We’ve already covered some basic seed starting tips and tips for those of you starting indoors, but I want to make it even more simple and basic.
Because that’s how I do.
One-liners to help you...

Hard to believe it’s already August.
The summer is flying by.
Despite being the summer, it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden.
This past past, I planted some seeds in my new garden that’s alongside my building.
How to decide what to plant
To figure out what I should plant, I used my Veggie Virgin Formula.
It’s a simple 4-step process...

This post was inspired by a conversation that Anita and I had a few weeks back.
It was when I was initially launching the Fall Gardening 101 course.
If you are a new reader, fan or follower, please read so you know what you can expect from this site and the information that I share.
Why Urban Organic Gardener was created
It wasn’t answering your questions about...

Slugs. They are nasty.
Creepy. Crawly and slimy.
Not much else to say on them besides they are pretty gross.
But how do you rid them from your garden.
This is what Rita asked me.
She asked, “I am having trouble with slugs and really do not feel comfortable using the slug bait called “snail death” any longer. I have free range chickens and I don’t...

Aphids are wiping out your container garden…
…you have tried a DIY spray to no avail.
You’ve been told that lady bugs eat aphids and are thinking about buying some for your small container garden.
This is the problem that Catherine is having and sent me this question:
I’ve got several containers on my deck (no self watering though, sadly) and my...

Does it seem like squirrels are eating more from your garden than you are?
Those long tailed furry rodents can be a huge pain in the…garden.
Squirrels are smart and persistent creatures. If they want something, they will do what they can to get it.
Squirrels on rooftop garden
In this Q&A segment, Kevin from Philly is having squirrel problems and wants to know...

She called her thumbs black.
She said that the gardening gene skipped her generation.
That’s what Megan Blevins was telling me on Twitter during the winter.
We Tweeted back and forth about it and I assured her that her thumbs need not be green, but they just needed to be opposable.
(Two things about that sentence. 1) I can’t believe that I wrote “We...

Did you not get around to planting your garden this summer?
Or did everything you plant die and you feel like a failure?
Don’t worry. The beauty of gardening is that there is always a next season.
Despite summer just beginning, the time to start preparing for the next season, fall, is right now.
Preparing now for a successful future
When you plant seeds, you do...

Let me know if this story sounds familiar to you…
You became interested in growing your own food because you want to know where your food is coming from.
You wanted to learn more, so you got a stack of books to read and spent hours researching on the internet.
All you have to show now is a headache and feel completely overwhelmed. You don’t feel any closer...

Are you noticing holes in the leaves of your garden?
Some foreign powdery substances that seem to be spreading?
It’s going to happen eventually. Nobody’s garden is going to be perfect. No matter what you read.
There is no need to beat yourself and think that you’re a failure. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Lets take a look at what might...

I’ve been asking you a lot of questions…
…through surveys, posts, Facebook and Twitter.
You’ve been heard – loud and clear.
I might not respond to everyone, but I read everything and I’ve heard you.
It goes beyond gardening
The one common thing that I keep hearing is that you want to grow your own food to eat healthy, avoid pesticides...

In 2012, the content focus has change…
…and I would like to get your thoughts.
As the header image of the site says, this site is about “Practical container gardening tips to grow your own food.”
Which is why I want to make sure that that is what is provided for you – practical tips.
It’s easy for me to know which ones are the most popular....

This is guest post by Becky Striepe
from Glue and Glitter
Growing food is sort of a non-stop adventure, isn’t it?
Just when everything’s planted and flourishing…
…the change in seasons means it’s time to start your garden over with a new round of seeds and seedlings.
Like Mike has mentioned before, you might think you’ll remember what...

By Justin Emig
Associate Brand Manager, Safer Brand
For most of the country, Spring has DEFINITELY sprung…
…and with the onset of Spring, comes the onset of our unwelcome garden pests.
The garden pest that has caused the most concern for organic gardeners in recent years has been the cabbage worm.
There are several ‘types’ of cabbage worm which include...